Is coronavirus more deadly for Latino residents in LA County?

Coronavirus taking a toll on Hispanic community

An alarming rate of Latinos have died from the coronavirus.

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County on Thursday reported 55 coronavirus-related deaths, pushing the COVID-19 mortality rate to 4.2%.

The total number of deaths in the county now stands at 457.

Of the 390 deaths for which race information is available, 33% were Latinx, 31% were white, 17% were Asian and 16% were black, with 3% listing some other ethnicity, said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the county Department of Public Health.

“We’re seeing the consequences of unequal access to the medical system playing itself out in the numbers of people dying,” UCLA professor Raul Hinojosa told FOX 11 News. “Catastrophes unveil inequalities in societies and vulnerabilities."

Fearing that Latino and African-American communities may be disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, the county made a push to obtain more racial and ethnicity data in order to better understand how different populations were being affected.

“Racial and ethnic data are needed to address health disparities and help ensure that resources are distributed equitably in areas,” said Supervisor Hilda Solis.

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“’Oh I’ll call the doctor?’ That’s not what you do when you’re undocumented. That’s the last thing you think about,” Hinojosa explained.

However, professor Hinojosa told FOX 11 that he encourages everyone to seek out medical attention first then figure out the legal ramifications later.

The county said they are encouraging all hospitals, labs and clinics to continue to gather race and ethnicity data so they can obtain a more accurate picture of what is happening in underserved communities.

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